It’s been a long time since I last did an asian food review and it’s about time I feature something really good to share with you. Now, though you do not see a lot of Indian food or recipes on this blog of mine, I am actually very fond of Indian food and eat Indian food weekly. Afterall, my office is located in a famous street in KL which houses some of the best Indian food found in KL.

Kohinoor is a new addition to this area, having shifted from its previous base in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. It is now located at the spanking new Capsquare Centre off Jalan Munshi Abdullah. Incidentally, Capital Square is now managed by BDRB, the developers (and managers, I think) of Bangsar Shopping Complex, so you get a fair idea of how this place is going to be marketed – chic, urban and with quality stuffs.

It is easy to go wild at the extensive menu found at Kohinoor (which by the way, means “Mountain of Light”) – more than 200 dishes to be exact, created by the able chef Primjit Namdeo Khaire from Mumbai and managed by the efficient and amiable Elias De Almeida. I have been to Kohinoor twice and have found the Murgh Nawabi absolutely irresistable. Read the rest of this entry »

If you live in Malaysia, you know that you are very lucky where FOOD is concerned. Malaysians are known for the special relationship that they have with food which is evident from the variety of savory dishes and sweets that one can easily find at every corner. This is especially so during the many festive seasons, one of which was only recently celebrated – Deepavali.

One of the favorite Indian sweets eaten during Deepavali is Sugared Ghee Balls, which is also popularly known as â€œNeyyi Urundaiâ€ or â€œPayatham Urundaiâ€. True, compared to the other more gloriously colored sweets found during this festival, Ghee Balls do not get full points for looks. In fact, its unstimulating colour and simple shape may even be a â€œput offâ€ for some. But, for many who have tried it, this sweet has easily become a favorite.

Making it from scratch is relatively easy. The only tricky part is pouring the hot ghee into the flour mixture and molding the balls into shape. One may find that the first few balls take a longer time to make than first anticipated. Donâ€™t let your spirits down if you find this happening to you. Persistence pays off and it wonâ€™t be too long before you start getting the hang of it.

Once cooled, pop a ball into your mouth and enjoy the taste as it slowly crumbles into a wonderful sensory delight. You wonâ€™t regret it!

I had Roti Canai for breakfast this morning. I have it quite often…averaging at least once a fortnight. It’s a simple breakfast and cheap. You can get a piece for RM0.80 here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Roti Canai is essentially a type of bread wherein the dough is kneeded, flipped, stretched, laid thinly and finally folded into a square or slightly round. It is then cooked on an iron skillet till brown.

It is usually served with dhall or curry (chicken or fish). I like mine with curry and I usually start off by laying curry on the plate, followed by the Roti Canai and topped with another layer of curry.

Roti Canai is available in Malaysia and Singapore. I have not travelled to other countries in Asia …so I am not in a position to comment on their availability elsewhere.

Enterprising and creative cooks have come out with variants of the Roti Canai and have put in various types of fillings such as egg, sardine in ketchup, bananas, cheese, onions and kaya.

No Roti Canai will be complete without the Teh Tarik (or “pulled tea”). For more information on Roti Canai, check out the Wikipedia.